For the first time since 2002, Notre Dame faces Michigan without first-hand knowledge of the Wolverines provided by a previous year’s matchup. Even 16 years ago, the Irish seniors had seen the Wolverines as freshmen in 1999. Now, only fifth-year linebacker Drue Tranquill remains from Notre Dame’s active roster in 2014’s 31-0 victory. Who will the No. 12 Irish be facing this weekend? Let’s askCody Stavenhagen of The Athletic …

DF: Thanks for taking the time to educate the Notre Dame side of this season opener. You picked quite a year to join the Michigan beat. By no means is a nationally-prominent program new for you — how many years did you spend covering Oklahoma for the Tulsa World? — but this should be a bit more unstable situation than the Sooners provided. In retrospect, Bob Stoops really made life easy by handing off a title contender to Lincoln Riley.

Now you have Jim Harbaugh on a warm seat, a new quarterback who some seem to think will make-or-break the Wolverines season and, of course, a return to Notre Dame Stadium.

What have been your first impressions of covering Michigan football?

CS: Thanks Douglas. I spent two years covering Oklahoma, and what a two years it was. Everything from controversy involving Joe Mixon and Dede Westbrook to the Stoops-Riley transition to Baker Mayfield’s Heisman run and plenty more.

But yes, the dynamic here with Michigan is certainly different. The program isn’t on the same rock-solid footing. There’s a ton of pressure to deliver. Oklahoma’s athletic department was full of proven professionals, but the biggest difference I’ve noticed is the fact Michigan still has a more button-down feel (despite Harbaugh’s antics). Press conferences are more orderly. The sense of history oozes and influences everything Michigan does. You can feel it when you walk into the building, in a way you didn’t even at Oklahoma. I’m sure Notre Dame is much the same. That’s a big part of what creates this make-or-break feel. Jim Harbaugh is obviously interesting no matter what, so in terms of interest and intrigue, I think this might be the perfect year to be covering Michigan.

Is Harbaugh’s seat as uncomfortable as it seems to be from a distance? By now, even I can recite his win-loss record against Ohio State and Michigan State (1-5), and I really couldn’t care less.

I don’t think so. There is a real pressure to win. If he doesn’t beat the rivals, if Michigan falls short of expectations this season, then the seat gets a lot warmer. But I think Harbaugh will be here as long as he wants to be here. He still had success in his first two years, and there were a lot of odd circumstances that created last year’s 8-5 record. The thought is that this could be the year that makes or breaks Harbaugh’s tenure, but I think it’s a little premature to say he’s on the hot seat.

If that is the case, then Ole Miss transfer and now starting quarterback Shea Patterson’s success is even more vital to the Wolverines season. In remembering Patterson as a recruit last week, Irish head coach Brian Kelly said, “What appealed to me early on was he played fast. Certainly the way he threw the football, very strong arm. I got a chance to see him and he just impressed me with his ability to make plays.” That was three years ago now. How has Patterson developed? / What did Kelly miss?

We have not gotten to see much (OK, any) of Patterson in person this fall, but there’s one piece of empirical evidence that says a lot about his ability: Jim Harbaugh named him the starter two weeks before the opener. Before this, he had not named a starter at Michigan prior to gameday. The last time he did this with a college quarterback, he was coaching Andrew Luck. So we’ve heard a ton about Patterson’s mobility and his innate skill to make plays. He has an above-average arm. On tape at Ole Miss, he was often dynamic, but he still played like a young quarterback. There is still developing for him to do, so making good decisions, not holding on to the ball too long, moving from the pocket selectively, will all be things he still has to hone this season. Kelly seems to have a pretty good idea of what he’s dealing with.

Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones caught 22 passes for 277 yards as a freshman, never reaching the end zone. Those numbers made him Michigan’s fourth-most productive pass-catcher. For the Wolverines offense to hum this season, he will need to offer much more and possibly lead the way. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

Patterson’s task this weekend got more difficult with the left foot injury suffered by sophomore receiver Tarik Black, expected to be Michigan’s leader on the outside. How will the Wolverines adapt?

I think this could be a massive loss. Black missed most of last season with a right foot injury, but was Michigan’s most explosive receiver as a true freshman in his first few college games. The Wolverines have little depth at WR. They had a couple of guys transfer at the start of camp. This was a worst-case scenario for their position group, which will now have to lean on senior slot guy Grant Perry and sophomore Donovan Peoples-Jones. Peoples-Jones has a lot of talent but wasn’t a great route runner and made his share of mistakes last season as a freshman. Michigan will likely look to second-year receiver Nico Collins to fill Black’s void on the outside. Collins got a lot of hype throughout camp, and at 6-4, he is the most physically imposing of Michigan’s receivers. We’ll see if it’s for real.

Speaking of weekend injuries, there was a moment Sunday when it seemed junior defensive end Rashan Gary may have injured his shoulder, but all indications since (at least from here) are he is healthy. Combining him with senior end Chase Winovich creates a pass-rush just about every defense in the country would be envious of. Obviously, that is just the start of defensive coordinator Don Brown’s unit. Are there any holes for Notre Dame to try to exploit?

Yep, sounds like Gary should be good to go this weekend. The Michigan defense returns nine starters and probably has five NFL-caliber players starting this season. The front seven in particular is about as good as it gets. In addition to Gary and Winovich, linebackers Devin Bush and Khaleke Hudson are ferocious.

The lone hole in Michigan’s defense last season was a vulnerability to big passes over the middle to tight ends and slot receivers. When Michigan is in a traditional alignment, it doesn’t have a Will linebacker thought to be great in coverage. That’s one of the two positions Michigan is replacing, so it’ll likely be sophomore Josh Ross looking to prove himself at that spot. The safeties in Tyree Kinnel and Josh Metellus can cover ground, but they struggled at times helping out over the middle or assisting in man coverage. We’ll see if they’ve improved.

Setting aside those pieces of recent news, the Wolverines’ offensive line has been a known question mark all offseason. Ed Warriner — yes, Irish fans, one and the same as the former Notre Dame assistant who served as Kelly’s offensive line coach in 2010 and 2011 — needs to find two new starting tackles. Has he?

Heck of a question. We haven’t gotten much insight on who will start at tackle, but Jon Runyan Jr. (LT) and Juan Bushell-Beatty (RT) are the favorites. Both guys have some experience, but they haven’t shown they can be top-notch tackles. Michigan players have raved about the difference Warinner’s guidance has made in the line, but there’s a thought the talent level might still not be as high as it needs to be. Freshman Jalen Mayfield and sophomore James Hudson are the most talented tackles, but they’re both younger and still learning. Wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them is starting by year’s end, but it’s likely the older guys will start Saturday.

Lastly, you can’t escape here without offering a prediction for Saturday night. If you aren’t willing to part with a final score just yet, what do you generally expect?

Really hard to know what to expect. There are a lot of unknowns with a new Michigan offense. There are some similar questions for Notre Dame. That said, I think Michigan has a little more talent across the board. Could go either way, but I’ll pick Michigan 24-21.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.